The 2016 shortlisted finalists for the West Africa Mobile Awards (WAMAS), the first truly West African technology awards to recognise the region’s leading mobile and tech companies, have been announced today.

An overwhelming response drew submissions from 10 countries across 3 continents. Entrants (and finalists) run the gamut from exciting mobile industry start-ups pioneering new technologies and services, to established ventures driving progress in the region.

In developing countries, the crowdfunding market is expected to reach $327 million this year—about 2 percent of the global total. Despite this slow adoption, crowdfunding has been heralded as an opportunity to expand access to capital for entrepreneurs.

Crowdfunding is the practice of raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically online, to fund a project or venture. The past 10 years, crowdfunding has evolved into a $16 billion market, initially concentrated in North America and Europe. African Crowdfunding is now a major focus with companies such as Thundafund, LelapaFund,Emerging Crowd and Afrikstartnow focusing on African opportunities.

Others platforms inlcude M-Changa which allows its 28,000 users to create crowdfunding campaigns and collect donations via SMS or online. The platform mostly dedicated to social impact and personal fundraising has donated over $300,000 to date in Kenya.

To better understand the challenges of crowdfunding in emerging markets, the World Bank Group conducted interviews with a number of East African technology entrepreneurs who ran crowdfunding campaigns, both successful and unsuccessful. From the interviews emerged six lessons about when, why, and how to launch crowdfunding campaigns:

Crowdfunding is more difficult than most entrepreneurs anticipate and is not for everyone.

Business needs should dictate platform choice.

Payment systems impact platform choice.

Quality and quantity of contributor networks are key.

Entrepreneurs should tap into complementary resources and organizations to increase their likelihood of success.

1. The next big thing.Virtual reality is the next big thingand was a major focus at Mobile World Congress 2016 with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg making a surprise appearance at Samsung’s press conference and many other vendors announcing launches. Samsung and Korean rival LG announced new 360 cameras and the latter is also bringing own VR headset to work with its new G5 phone, while Chinese-owned Alcatel will ship its new Idol 4S smartphones in a plastic box that doubles as Google Cardboard compatible VR viewer. read more

2. Bloodbath coming for device manufacturers
As one walks through vast halls of the latest tech and devices from established brands such as Samsung, HTC and others there are still 8 more halls filled with mobile brands and global manufacturers most people have never heard of and probably never will. Blackberry once a huge draw at MWC have been a casualty in recent years. There will be many more heading that way in a race to the bottom with many simply offering a commodity, with very little differentiation (unlike Oppo – see below), easily replicated at cheaper prices. Blackberry at least owned something with their own OS, many new devices built on Android with a “better camera” won’t cut it and many more failures to come.

3. Shoes just got clever
The internet of things (IoT) is nothing new with just about everything connected at MWC, this year cars were a major focus for many including Visa allowing payment from the car for petrol. Wearables again are nothing new however Samsung have in conjunction with its in-house startup, Salted Venture launched what could be the biggest revolution in footwear. Samsung’s IOFIT is embedded with sensors that can detect balance and posture at various parts of a foot especially for budding athletes. The trainers contain and application, which displays real-time data which the user can then evaluate and see how they can improve. read more

4. Mobile charging is a thing of the past (nearly!)
Fast charging tech is a massive deal these days and Oppo the Chinese manufacturer launched it’s rapid phone charging solution ‘Super VOOC Flash Charge’ at MWC and means Oppo’s new devices will be fully charged in just a quarter of an hour, while five minutes at the plug provides ten hours of talk time. Unfortunately Oppo doesn’t plan to release the Super VOOC tech to other mobile manufacturers, so it will only appear on Oppo’s own handsets but finally one of the biggest issues faced by mobile consumers globally is now getting sorted. read more

5. Four Years From Now
Four Years From Now (4YFN) is the start-up element of MWC2016, housed at the old conference facility MWC is too big for. This event housed start-ups from all over the world. Appsafrica.comwere kindly invited to join a panel with many start-ups pitching their ideas. While some great ideas were communicated, one over-riding theme became clear, a distinct lack of African involvement and very little presence of African start-ups. Visas, travel and costs are all possible answers but more needs to be done to put the African start-ups on the global map at the worlds biggest mobile event.

Lets see what Africa can do one year from now?

Appsafrica Advisory develops strategies and drives expansion for companies entering or expanding in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are a private advisory service providing expert insight, business development and implementation assistance for mobile web and technology ventures.

]]>appsafricamwcFacebook shared how it was bringing its streaming technology for 360 video to Samsung Gear VR in coming weekssamsung trainersoppo - supervoocAppsafrica Advisory is a private consultancy service providing expert insight helping to build strategy, drive expansion and support operations for companies entering or expanding in Sub-Saharan Africa.BitPesa gains investment to grow BitCoin business in Africahttps://appsafrica.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/bitpesa-gains-investment-to-grow-bitcoin-business-in-africa/
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 13:05:38 +0000http://appsafrica.com/?p=4045

BitFury Group, the world’s leading Bitcoin Blockchain infrastructure provider and transaction processing company, has made an investment in BitPesa, one of Africa’s leading bitcoin payment platforms.

BitPesa is a universal bitcoin payment and trading platform that seeks to give the pan-African continent unfettered access to the benefits of the global economy. “Our mission is to make global transacting easier, especially for those who continue to face obstacles to financial growth,” said Valery Vavilov, CEO of BitFury. “A secure, transparent and trusted form of exchange is being made possible by BitPesa, and our investment will allow us to work together to leverage the innovative power of the Bitcoin Blockchain for the benefit of the entire pan-African continent.” The strategic investment was made by BitFury’s investment arm BitFury Capital.

BitPesa allows individuals and businesses all over the world to quickly and securely send payments to and from Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania. The company accepts bitcoin and exchanges it for local African currencies, which are then deposited into African bank accounts or mobile money wallets. BitPesa also sells bitcoin in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, for those users who do not have access to other bitcoin exchanges.

BitPesa is licensed by the FCA as an Authorized Payment Institution, making it a more trusted solution than using informal brokers or cash agents, the traditional route in Africa for many people seeking to engage in exchange. BitPesa also uses bitcoin to exchange directly between African currency and other global currencies, reducing unnecessary and expensive dependence on using the U.S. dollar as a means of exchange.

“It has been great to have the support of the BitFury Group, who work extremely hard to build community amongst companies working with bitcoin, large and small,” said Elizabeth Rossiello, CEO of BitPesa. “Valery and his team have a long history working in frontier markets and nothing is more important to our team than an understanding and support of the work we do.”

Oppo the chinese manufacturer launched it’s rapid phone charging solution ‘Super VOOC Flash Charge’ at MWC this week and means Oppo’s new devices will be fully charged in just a quarter of an hour, while five minutes at the plug provides ten hours of talk time.

That 15 minute estimate is based on a 2500mAh battery, which is standard for a 5-inch device. And according to Oppo it works with standard micro USB as well as the new Type-C variety which can be found on recent phones like the Nexus 6P.

Fast charging tech is a massive deal these days, but there are two pretty major concerns. First is the worry that the battery might overheat during charging, but Oppo’s Super VOOC solution uses a low voltage (5V) pulse charge to prevent any temperature leaps pro-longing battery life.

Unfortunately Oppo doesn’t plan to release the Super VOOC tech to other mobile manufacturers, so it will only appear on Oppo’s own handsets giving a distinct advantage over competitors who are playing catch up and finally addressing one of the biggest issues faced by mobile consumers globally.

More than 3’000 startups from Eastern and Central Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America applied to participate in Seedstars World this year proudly supported by Appsafrica.com. In Africa these entrepreneurs are working relentlessly on solving problems they care about and are among the most inspiring people around.

The startups are tackling everything from unemployment, lack of electricity to going to movies.Marcello Schermer Regional Manager Africa at Seedstars World shares with Appsafrica.com the best start-ups Seedstars found across the African continent.

Moovi (Mozambique): Moovi is a web/mobile platform that lets anyone create relevant events within their surrounding community. It is as simple as “thinking, planning and tapping” and Moovi unlocks all your desired experiences.

Giraffe (South Africa): Giraffe is a revolutionary new mobile recruitment tool that aims to reduce unemployment in South Africa.

MyQ (Nigeria): MyQ is a mobile application that provides queue management, passenger loading and ticketing services to the transportation industry.

Asoriba (Ghana): Asoriba is a web and mobile application that enables effective church administration for leaders, and seamless engagement with members.

Airshop (Abidjan): Airshop is a platform that enables travelers to pre-order items online and pick them up at duty-free shops whenever they’re on the road. Simply put, Airshop is a “marketplace for duty-free shopping.

Mergims (Rwanda): Mergims is a mobile application that connects migrants back to merchants in their countries of origin so they can buy stuff for relatives at home.

Intership (Uganda): IntershipUG is a package forwarding service unlocking the US and UK, providing consolidation and allowing various shipping methods.

SolarizEgypt (Egypt): SolarizEgypt is a solar power provider that uses customized solutions to provide a balanced cost/value proposition to an emerging market.

IOGrow (Algeria): CRM for social selling, integrated with linkedin, Twitter and Gmail.

OmniUp (Morocco): Omniup Ads is an innovative advertising solution on smartphones: free wi-fi service on public places against video ads & web interaction.

The Seedstars World Summitpromises to be an eye-opening window into the emerging markets and the talented entrepreneurs innovating in them. The event will be filled with panel discussions on subjects ranging from women entrepreneurs to innovation in Africa, have top CEOs, members of academia and VCs deliver powerful speeches, and all of this surrounded by a strong international media presence.

There is still time to sign up for the summit. Click here to get a 15% discount.

Appsafrica Advisory develops strategies and drives expansion for companies entering or expanding in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are a private advisory service providing expert insight, business development and implementation assistance for mobile web and technology ventures.

The internet of things (IoT) and wearables are nothing new, however Samsung have in conjunction with its in-house startup, Salted Venture launched what could be the biggest revolution in sportswear since Nike invented air bubbles.

Samsung’s IOFIT is embedded with sensors that can detect balance and posture at various parts of a foot especially for budding athletes. The trainers contain and application, which displays real-time data which the user can then evaluate and see how they can improve.

The IOFIT smart shoes have two models a running trainer and golfing shoes. The golf shoes aims to improve the golfers swing posture, weight shift and club head speed. The running trainers are designed to improve the runners gate, posture and prevent injury. An app then crunches the data to help improve the athletes performance .

“There’s so much valuable information coming from our feet, and it’s being wasted,” said Jacob Cho, CEO of Salted Venture. “So, we wanted to make use of this data and utilize it to provide value to people. That was the driving force behind IOFIT.”

The idea for the smart shoe was born at C-Lab, one of Samsung’s primary Innovation Programs that helps its employees to nurture creative business ideas. Soon thereafter, the team left the firm to establish Salted Venture as an independent company and create new business opportunities.

“Our goal is to empower people who love fitness and sports to train smarter and coach better,” Cho explained. “We want to see our products being used by inspiring athletes, coaches and individuals all over the world and to make their training and coaching experience the best it can be.”

Virtual reality is a major focus at Mobile World Congress 2016 with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg making a surprise appearance at Samsung’s press conference talking up progress in virtual reality and to promote VR in the future as “the most social platform.”

Facebook paid $2 billion to buy Oculus which has been working with Samsung on its Gear VR consumer headsets. Not surprising then Zuckerberg says “soon we’re going to live in a world where everyone has the power to share and experience whole scenes as if you’re just there, right there in person.” He said this as he appeared on stage during the Samsung event just after members of audience took off the Gear VR headsets they had put on to experience virtual reality during Samsung’s presentation.

To deal with the challenges in delivering social VR, Facebook recently created new teams to build the next generation of social apps in VR. Hundreds of new titles are coming to Oculus store this year, Zuckerberg says, including Minecraft.

Facebook has been selling Gear VR for $99, though for the time being it will be bundled for free to folks who pre-order the company’s latest flagship phones that were unveiled here, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. According to Zuckerberg millions of people will get their hands on a Gear VR this year.

New battlefield for brands
Samsung are one of many pushing VR in Barcelona this week with HTC, in partnership with Valve, announcing that it will begin taking pre-orders on the consumer version of HTC Vive on Feb. 29; the price is $799 for now.

Samsung and Korean rival LG announced new 360 cameras and the latter is also bringing own VR headset to work with its new G5 phone, while Chinese-owned Alcatel will ship its new Idol 4S smartphones in a plastic box that doubles as Google Cardboard compatible VR viewer.

Is this the next big thing the mass market will adopt or a niche?Second Life, burst onto the scene back in 2003, the web was in its infancy, mobile devices were archaic and VR was far from mass reality. According to some estimates, Second Life still boasts 900,000 active users or residents a month who socialise, learn and explore hobbies including fashion, bowling and sailing online. Users cashed out $60 million last year from businesses and content made and sold within Second Life.

Thirteen years on from Second Life’s innovation, the mobile web has leapfrogged the internet as we knew it and VR has the potential to be huge, however in Africa it is far from a necessity.

]]>appsafricaFacebook shared how it was bringing its streaming technology for 360 video to Samsung Gear VR in coming weeksMWC: Orange launches Google deal for Africahttps://appsafrica.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/mwc-orange-launches-google-deal-for-africa/
Mon, 22 Feb 2016 11:58:21 +0000http://appsafrica.wordpress.com/?p=3986In the first of many announcements from Mobile World Congress (MWC) Orange has announced a new partnership with Google to bring the best of mobile internet across its full African footprint and a new device.

By combining the strength of “Orange’s mobile network and mobile expertise with Google’s mobile applications, the move offers customers the best of both partners in terms of access and content through an all-inclusive digital communication package” according Orange.

Orange and Google have come together to deliver a package for customers across the Orange MEA footprint. They will now have access to a range of best-in-class online services including, but not limited to, popular content covering fashion, sport and music, as well as everyday tools such as Google Search, YouTube and Google Maps.

Bringing value to customers through enriched local content
The partnership will address the mass market for Orange in Africa and the Middle East, following Orange’s ongoing success of delivering smartphones across the region.

Through an educational campaign, customers will be offered advice to better understand the benefits and direct value mobile internet can bring. Important information will be made accessible, for example, finding answers to questions instantly through Google Search or the ability to locate the nearest health clinic using Google Maps. languages, such as Arabic, will be supported to enrich the customer experience, with additional languages to be added throughout the year.

The digital communication package is especially well-adapted to youth who have high data usage and want the latest generation smartphone. Customers will receive one of the most competitively priced tariff plans in the region starting at $40, which will consist of a high-specification smartphone and a communication bundle with voice, SMS and data.

The offer will be delivered in a phased approach and will start to roll-out across the full Orange MEA footprint in Q2 this year. The device will launch with the native set of Google services and the goal of the partnership is to develop local services and content over time.

“As the first pan-Africa and Middle East mobile partnership with Google on this scale, we are able to bring direct value to our customers by offering the best access and services to ensure they get the most out of the mobile internet,” says Yves Maitre, Executive Vice President of Connected Objects and Partnerships, Orange.

“Through this all-inclusive digital communications package, we are proud to continue our promise to deliver affordable internet access across the region and connect people to what is essential in their lives.”

Richard Turner, Director Android Partnerships for Europe, the Middle East and Africa says: “Today, over three billion people across the world are using the internet to live better, richer lives and create opportunities for themselves and their communities. The driving force behind this growth – particularly in Africa and the Middle East – is smartphones. We are very excited to work with Orange to bring together data services, content and a high quality Android device to provide a great experience for first-time or experienced smartphone users.”

Orange Rise 31 Special Edition, 3G flagship device for Orange MEA
The affordable offer will launch on the Orange Rise 31 Special Edition, a new and exclusive Orange branded 3G device. As the flagship model of Orange’s 2016 smart family line-up for Orange MEA, it will be running on Google’s latest OS Android 6.0 Marshmallow, has a 4-inch screen and comes with the latest version of Orange Experience 8 to ensure a smooth and supportive smartphone experience.

The smartphone is a powerful quad-core product, boasts a high memory package (1GB RAM/8GB ROM) and will provide access to the full suite of Google Apps. Coming with a 3 mega pixel camera with LED flash and a 1500mAH battery, it will be the first Orange customised smartphone to run Android 6.0 Marshmallow at a low-price point.